2007 Peachtree Road Race - 55,000 PEOPLE!!!

55,000 PEOPLE!!! Holy crap! An amazing sight to see. And even more amazing to be a part of it.

Way to go everybody! I would like to congratulate all my family peeps for crossing the finish line at this years Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. What a way to celebrate the 4th. I had a blast and was able to finish the race without walking and even had a little steam at the end to bust out a nice little stride for the ladies. They love me! Anyway, here are some of the group photos that we took before and after the race. Notice the headband. I am too cool. But I do have to admit that this was a very exciting event and even though I ran alone, I felt a part of the whole phenomenon. The energy was just awesome. Sign me up for next year!

This was way too early for me to be smiling so ridiculously. I have no idea how i did it.


This was after the race. I got my t-shirt and bragging rights.


Then the family came out to meet us.

Hot, Hot, HOT!

It has been quite some time since my last entry and many things have happened since then. I'm not sure where to start so I will be brief.

As some of you may know, I am going to be running the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th in Atlanta. I have not been training or running very much recently. I have been very busy and feel that I need an excuse to justify my lazy ass not getting out as much as should. But to the point, I decided to go out for an easy 3 miler. Well, it was not so easy. This is in part to the fact that my daughter accompanied me on her bike as I ran. But mainly because it was 90º with 60% humidity which makes it FEEL like 98º. The sun beating on my face felt as though it was melting my skin by the second mile. We made about 4 stops in the shade to drink water and for my daughter to take a breather as I ran in place. I am beginning to think that running in this kind of heat is not very good. I was well hydrated and had food in my system. But it was just agony. Now I know why I normally choose to run at night. I will continue to do so. Unless I have the ability to wake up at some ridiculous hour in the morning and do it.

I just hope it's not that hot for the P'tree because the only way I would be ablt to prep for that would be to run in this horrible heat here in Florida. And it's not even at its worst yet!! The worst comes in July and August. *sigh*

Either way, I finished the 3 today and will proabably go out tomorrow for a night run. This heat is just insane. It can't be healthy.

The new Pensive Crow House is well under way!
Front


1st Floor (half bath in right corner)


First Floor (kitchen in back left corner)


Stairs Going to 2nd Floor


2nd Floor Looking North

Mickler Pics

I think I can, I think I can...


I CAN! (barely). Nice chin, uh? jesus.


and the group shot...

The Mickler Mile

This morning I challenged myself in more ways than one.

1. Getting up at 5:45a.m. (after drinking the night before) *oof*
2. Sprinting 1 mile at 7:00a.m. in 6:40 and only gagging a couple of times.
3. Not dying

I am proud of myself for running a decent time and having the head to go for it. I decided to do this thing last night, right before I went to bed. It was on Anastasia Island about two blocks from the beach. Mickler Road. You could smell the morning saltiness from the ocean breeze. I love that. *sniff, sniff* Ahhhh. And Mickler Road is exactly one mile long.

Anyway. I know I have been few and far between with my entries. But I will do my best to keep pace.

This is what we call life...and a real cowboy!

Hey look...a real cowboy!

Update: I need to let myself go for a minute so please bare with me....

For those of you who know me very well, you can understand why sometimes my "things" just don't make sense in a "life should go THIS way" kind of way. So, I took some time off from my blog for no particular reason other than the fact that I have a busy schedule and things happen in life that make it more important for me to devote time to "it" rather than spilling my dirty innards here onto your cheap internet connection for a cheap thrill. Or maybe a stalking or two. No offense to those who hide. Philosophically, I could go on for several eternities...but I guess I won't. So my life has gone well in many ways. My daughter is excelling and making me very proud and my wife is beginning to find her stitch in life that seems to fit pretty well. I am very proud her as well. Of course I, myself fall off course every once in awhile, but hey...who doesn't?

Wow. That was a stretch. Yeee-arrrrhhhh-ehhh. *crack* *pop* (oof)

My running: Last week I did a few 5 milers and a 6er. I did several treadmill runs and elevated the track to a 2% incline which is supposed to make up for the lack of wind resistence that you do get on an outdoor run (based upon a 6mph running speed). On average that is. It felt very good. My legs are strong and my spirit high (most of the time). My lungs are still cashed somewhat from the many years of filling them with smoke but I feel are clearing out pretty quick. And I still am amazed at the fact that a cigarrette hasn't touched my lips in 534 days. Sweeeet! The Peachtree Road Race approaches and I wonder: Will I win??? No. So...what is the inspiration? I'll tell you. Fun and ego. Both must be filled from time to time. And I look forward to both. And family of course.

The world is changing as am I. That goes for you too! Embrace aging, difference and tolerate the pull of stimulus. But also be prepared to make a decision. A big one. At some point it will haunt you and you need to take it with conviction and confidence. Otherwise anxiety will stand in for procrastination. For example: Should I poison the squirrels in my roof? heh heh. No, not really. But they WILL leave my house dammit!

So anywy. Apologies for the delay in update. I will try to be more attentive. Be very careful when listening to mass media. Don't ever be too comfortable with what you hear about what we are doing in the Middle East. And listen VERY carefully. Makle your own assesment. Not what is fed to you by the "media spoon" of complacency.

Listen to music and swim in the ocean.

I am a total slack ass

I have not been out in over a week! So, I am making a promise that as of tonight I will be starting my official training for the Peachtree Road Race.

On a totally different note:
Other then my slack-ass self, I would also like to criticize certain individuals who feel that broadcasting emotionally sensitive material, such as the recent rantings of the korean psychopath, Seung-Hui Cho, that some feel is "inappropriate" or "morally inept" can simply quiet themselves (would much rather use other language here) and turn off their fu**ing television. You have like...200 channels!! That is what defines personal freedoms. Choice!

In case you want to challenge that notion: http://www.bottomlayer.com/bottom/basic_delayed_choice.htm

Turn it off or change the channel!

Anyway, this is impulsive ranting derived from my own dark side. However, I do felel it is justified to air anything that has value to peoples curiosity of currrent affairs. And this means that broadcasting things that offend people. If you are one of those people offended by images of a crazy person that murdered a bunch of people, then why not do yourself and the rest of us a favor by reducing your household's energy consupmtion by throwing your goddamn television in the trash can. Or give it to me! I still need one in my bathroom.

And don't even get me started on the people who feel that "predicting" a person's actions is the 'answer' to avoiding such horror...

Let us consider that a person's choise of action is a manifestation of thought. Thought originates in the human brain. How could we possibly make a 'thoughful prediction' of a person's actions, if that person's actions remain a mystery even far after the event has occured.

Much more eloquently put:

“When the number of factors coming into play in a phenomenological complex is too large, scientific method in most cases fails. One need only think of the weather, in which case the prediction even for a few days ahead is impossible.”
- Albert Einstein

Trying to motivate...

Seems the hardest thing to do is to keep yourself motivated. I went out tonight for an easy three miler and felt I could do at least two more when I finished. It was a cool night. Like 67 degrees. Perfect running weather. Not too crisp, not too humid. Just how I like it. During the 1st and 3rd mile mark, I did burp up a little bit of spaghetti sauce that I probably shouldn't have eaten just before I went out. But hey, it never made it past my molers. So I'm happy about that. Currently I'm trying to get my life back in order. So if you don't hear from in a while again. Please be patient. I'm loyal. I promise.

Forgot what number I'm at.
But anywhoo.

I'd like to make it TO space before I die. And live to tell about it. In a SPACESHIP, such as a SHUTTLE, or Space POD of some sort.

And pardon the CAPS, but some of the more persnickety, literary types occasionally need clarification when it comes to posting vague or assumptive writings. Sorry! Geez.

A horrible person, I am...

I know, I know... it's been FOR-EVER. Jeez.

Not sure if anyone is still reading this. But either way it is still an outlet for me to express my inner-most, intimate, juicy secrets. Oh wait, I guess after what happened to what's-her-slut, I'll stay away from those kinda "secrets". You know, the girl who worked as an admin assist for a senator in...hmm. Was it North Carolina? I don't remember. Anyway.

Update: I went in for a colonoscopy. Yahoo! Giddy-up! Just to take a look. And yes, I'm fine. And I have pictures (stay tuned) .All was normal. They think it might be stress. Great. But I guess we all deal with something or other. And me, I get the shits sometimes and... *prrf* But he gave me some meds to help and now...all is smooth as silk.

Could be worse.

I took about a week off of my running since the Lighthouse 5K I raced two Saturdays ago (3/17/07). I finished 25:30 which was a PR for me. So that was encouraging. And they had free, green beer afterwards which was also nice. Nothing like a cold brew after a race! My neighbor's son won this race. He finished in like...14:50. Uh...yeah. He's fast. He runs for Univ. of Florida. He wins almost all of of the local races. Kind of humiliating to show up at a race with him and evryone's congratualting him on his win as I'm akwardly standing there wanting to hide in the bushes and cry with my beer. Oh well. I guess it is somewhat inspiring.

Today I went just shy of four miles through Moses Creek which is a natural preserve about 3 miles from our neighborhood. It was very nice. I went with my neighbor who is coming off an injury to his calf muscle. Ouch! The only part that sucked was an occasional stretch of thick, very dry sand. Yeah, like the kind you get your car stuck in. It feels like you're running in place. But it was cool nonetheless. No distractions. No cars or obnoxious assholes yelling at you from their cars, yelling kids, vicious dogs, creepy feral cats, rabid raccoons and opposums hissing at you. The usual sights and sounds for me. So it was a nice change.

And finally I was able to put my wetsuit to good use yesterday and paddle out! I didn't catch one wave. Not one. I was exhausted after about 20 or 30 minutes out there. But being out in the water is well worth the struggle.

I'll try to stay more up to date on this thing. It's been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks. But things are good. And the soon-to-be new Pensive Crow office is finishing Phase 1 of construction. I'll post pictures of it soon. Peace to all.

Nice going on your Big 13 Granny-Annie. Keep it up.

Audi 5000. Counting down to the P'tree!

3. Improve my surfing.

A Run for the Record

Not really. I did 3.5 miles tonight. I took it easy. But it felt really good. And when I got back home, there was piping hot lentil soup waiting for me. It was yummy. Thanks, Cat! And by the way, P-Town, on a Mac we don't get all those fancy edit tools for OUR blog. Not fair. Good night. I need to go to bed before my clock strikes twelve. Which is in like...8 minutes. We know what happens if I miss that one. Ow-Ow-Owoooooooh!

Comments

I changed the setting so anyone can now comment without having to be a "blogger". Thanks. Cheers!

Been Slackin' a Bit

I must admit that, due to reasons not good enough for some I'm sure, I have been slacking a bit on my blog. But for those of you who CAN understand the daily grind of trying to think up new, clever, creative, and gripping blog content and then realizing that you've failed miserably and make up for it by putting up some sort of cute-see picture that somehow loosely connects the boring shit that your writing about...and a visual repressaentaion of that boring bullshit itself. Therefore the reader will have the comfrot in saying "that's a' buncha bullshit...and there's pictures to PROVE IT!!!"...

*shrug*

So..anyway. Now that we've gotten that out of the way. I am now eating my lunch. Leftovers. Irish Stew. Yum! However, considering that I moved the stew from the original container into one that I found here at the office, I now realize that was a total lapse in anticipatory judgement. Why did I do this? Because there was too much for one sitting in the original tuperware (not sure how to spell that word). So I scooped out a moderate serving into a new tuperware bowl that was already here at my office. So here I am eating my stew. And I tastes a bit like dishsoap. Damn! You know the story. We've all been throught that one.

My running has been a bit slow. My lower back has been giving me issues and think the running might be aggravating it a bit. So I took it easy for a few days to see if it helped. And it didn't really. So...whatever.

There is a race this weekend that I should be in. The Gate River Run. 1 Miler, 5K, and 15K. I'll do the 5K. Not quite ready for a 15K race yet. I could probably make it but...I've seen the pictures they take of you at the finish line.

http://www.gate-riverrun.com/

That...is not something that I am ready for. Maybe by May. Now I'm comfortably doing 5 miles right around 47-49 minutes.

My little one just won recognition at her school for what they call "Character Counts". It's a program at the school to help promote good behavior. Each month promotes a different aspect of good character. And during which, only one child is rewarded each month that has shown exceptional behavior in that particular character. February was Trusworthiness. And she won! She is very proud of herself as we are also. A definite self-esteem booster which is always a plus. She also has a piano recital on Martch 23rd. Her very first! We are also very excited about that. Here she is practicing her flying skills:


In other news; the waves have been shitty. Very small. Unsurfable for the most part. But there's a NE wind on the rise and I'm hoping it will bring some good surf. I want to try out this wetsuit. It mocks me!

And congats to Megan and Brent on the new addition! Yay!

And Mrs. P-Town Peach,
I still can't find that thing you told me about in the top of this post edit for links. I must be high again. ;)

As promised...

Well, well, well. If it isn't the Banana Shoe. Aren't they grand!


And here's a shot of the wetsuit. And if you look REALLY close, supposedly you can see the ghostly image of a little girl that once inhabited this house years ago. Legend has it that she hopelessly wanders the house in search of her long-lost Polly Pocket sporting a Parisian handbag and matching plaid rain jacket that was to complete a set of four dollies. So the story goes. *pfft*


But I don't believe in Polly Pockets. Some people's imagination is a little too big for the toy box if you catch my drift.
No, not that drift. Sheesh!

3. Learn of other life in the/our universe

Bit of a Struggle

Today I deceided to take it easy and not worry about speed so much as distance. So my pace was moderate and I struggled to finish up 4.5 miles this afternoon. I am not exactly sure why, but today was just one of those days where the run didn't feel as good as it should. Or as it can. And for all you runners out there, I know you understand. At about the 2.5 mile mark, I had to stop and walk for about 30-60 seconds. Rough! I just had to walk for a minute. My breathing was not an issue, my left calf was a bit tender but other than that my legs felt strong. My body just felt tired. I went out at about 3:45pm and I hadn't eaten anything since 9:30 this morning (giant bowl of oatmeal and a banana). So I think I was just out of fuel. But I striggled through to get back to the house and recovered pretty quickly. Ultimately it still felt great in the end but also an important reminder to make sure my body has enough fuel to be pushed 4.5 miles in my banana sneakers. I know what you're going to say, "but you were wearing your banana shoes!". You would think that would be enough to carry me. But alas, food is still king in getting your body the energy it needs to extend it's usual push.

On a more "Dude, totally!" note: I finally bought a badass wetsuit so I can surf in these frigid Atlantic waters between now and say...May 15th when the water starts to warm back up. And I'll tell you what; putting that thing on was one of the most difficult things I've ever done in recent years. Damn! I felt like I had just...well, it was hard. We'll leave it at that. So it's time to paddle out soon! Surfs up!

Unitl nex time...

2. To go swimming in the Dead Sea

No Title in Mind

It was a beautiful, clear, cool night last night when I decided to take a 3.2 mile run. Time: 26:15 I felt pretty winded when I finished and my lungs hurt a little bit with very deep breaths. Apparantly that's normal for someone with asthma such as myself. And when it's nice and crisp outside it makes it even worse. But it still felt really good.

It's understood that I probably shouldn't be worrying about speed this ealry in my running career. I'v been running about a year now. With asthma and a heavy smoker for 10 years. So I'll continue to focus on distance for now. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Whatever. Speed will come. But I think, considering how fu**ing bright my shoes are, I'm sure it must LOOK like I'm running fast. They even glow in the daylight they're so bright. I'll post a picture of them in a minute, once I get off the toilet.

OK, I slacked a bit...

Well, first off, so I can get it off of my chest, I am eating a cherry danish from Panera right now. And it tastes really damn good. Do I feel guilty? Nope. Will my wife read this post? Probably not. (Love ya' honey!) So I will use this blog as a personal confession to my "Oh so sweet" indulgences this afternoon. I am trying to keep a good diet which I feel I have for the most part. I do slip every now and again by falling victim to the sweet temptations of eating a whole bag of 'Sour Patch Kids'.

*shrug*

Or drinking a gallon of Coke at the movie theater every other Friday. Well, maybe not a GALLON...but it's huge nonetheless and more soda than my body should be attempting to digest. I heard of a 17-year-old kid who once had to pass 3 kidney stones and after these stones were tested by the lab found that they were basically petrified COCA-COLA!!! Not. Fun.



And I've been eating a LOT of fruit recently. And man, it does a hum-dinger on the ol' abdominal beat-box. yes, I've had really smelly farts. The kind that you can't even stand yourself. I've had to leave the room and come back an hour later and it still stinks! Rank farts. Anyway, enough of that.

I did not run last night. Why? Because recently, on aversage, I have been getting 6 hours of sleep per night. The physical results caught up to me last night and I went to bed at 8:30 after playing my guitar and singing along with my daughter. Which was great fun by the way. I could barely keep my eyes open. The psychological results of the lack of sleep have yet to be determined due to the fact that I'm a complete freak without having to deprive myself of sleep. Just ask my family! Any of them. The sleep was much needed and is highly recommended for anyone on a physical training regiment and also deals with a good deal of responsibility the rest of the time.

I ended up passing out in my office yesterday at like...2 in the afternoon. Totally exhausted. I slept for about 30 minutes. But my 10 hour slumber last night brought me back to the world. At least for now.

So for now...I'm Audi 5000.

About the word list. It's a dead horse. So instead. I will create a list of things that I would like to do.

1. Go scuba diving in Key West this Spring/Summer

A Man's Life in Russia and a Starlet's Life in the US

Rough. Not only are they drunker and more high, on average, then Americans (which surprises me), but it seems that the suicide rate is significantly higher as well. Why is life so bad in the former Soviet Union? I know it's cold, overcast, socially confused, a relatively new "democracy", and filled with lots of Vodka...wait...I think I just answered my own question.

In other news, Britney Spears shaved her fu**ing head. Please do something about this.

** I just finished my lunch and I'm still hungry. I really do hate that. **

And is it possible to be lactose AND gluten inolerant?

Anyway, I'll be hitting the pavement with my hairy sausages again tonight after I took last night off to rest. A 3-miler tonight. I have some folks in my sights that I'm looking to smoke come this July 4th at the Peachtree Road Race. So watch out! 'Cause I'm looking GOOD!

I will be starting a list of words from this day forward. These are words that when said by someone; makes me want to kick them in the crotch. So here is the first one of the list.

Word: Bubble Gum

Happy Birthday Ma'!

First, I would like to wish my Mom a very Happy Birthday!
In addition: Last night I ran 5 miles!

Time: 48:06

I'll be sure to update improvements and stuff. And remember: I smoked for about 12 years (Marlboro Reds) and quit on December 1, 2005. So that ain't. too. shabby.
Stanky.

I'm currently averageing about 8:40 mile and coming close to comfortably running a 10K. Keep it up daddy!

Breaking the Blogosphere

Quite the cultural phenom that I cannot actually go through a day without hearing the word "blog" mentioned in somesort of modern context. Whether it be the radio, tv, newspaper, email, peers, realtives, snobs at Starbucks, or my sister (no offense, sis). Speaking of my sister, she has proudly and quite recently (as I have because I want to be like her) started her own blog: http://ptownpeach.blogspot.com/ Go Hed-Wah! Go Hed-Wah!

She's on a health kick. As I am, I figure. And that's a big deal considering our Marlboro-puffing, Tootsie Roll-sucking, beer-guzzling, Fast-Food-Frolicking, Fruit Loop Looping past. We've also both started running recently to get in shape and lose some of those unsighlty "Happy Meals".